Volunteer Background Checks

Every year over 16,000 parents and community members volunteer to contribute to successes of SPS students. We value your donations of time and talent!

Keeping Students Safe

SPS is committed to providing students with a safe educational environment. We are also required by law to complete criminal background check for every volunteer. Volunteer applicants must be screened using an approved criminal background check methods prior to beginning service.

Background Check Requirements

A. Long-term Washington State residents

If you have lived in Washington State for the past three (3) years, your school will use the Washington State Patrol’s database known as WATCH to run your background check. Normally, WATCH background checks cost $11 each, however Washington State makes them available to schools (and non-profits) at no charge.

B. Volunteers newer to Washington State

The following circumstance require a one-time, $21 national background check:

Volunteer applicant has lived in the U.S. for the past three (3) years, including in states outside Washington.

Volunteer will regularly work with students while unsupervised (regardless of how long the volunteer has resided in Washington State).

All sports volunteer applicants*.

Overnight field trip chaperones if the field trip is longer than 3 days.

How to purchase your national background check

SPS has partnered with Sterling Volunteers (formerly Verified Volunteers) to offer volunteer applicants affordable, secure and convenient background checks online ($21). Visit http://bit.ly/vv4sps to begin your online order - you may be prompted to enter a special code - it is VOLSPSD

If in the past you resided in the State of New York, Sterling Volunteers transaction total will include an extra $95 charge required by that jurisdiction. You will be able to cancel the order and consider the following alternative.

For former residents of New York State and applicants who prefer to not complete their national background check online, we have fingerprinting services available at the John Stanford Center - cost for this service is approximately $46, prior appointment is required, and results are available two weeks after the appointment. Email volunteer@seattleschools.org for instructions.

C. Volunteers who recently returned to or arrived in the U.S.

If you lived abroad in the past three (3) years and have a social security number, you will need to purchase a one-time international background check ($31 fee) instead of the national background check.

Why is there a fee for background checks?

Unfortunately, WATCH does not provide criminal records from other states, and unlike Washington State, the federal government does not provide schools with free screening tools. SPS selected an online vendor to offer affordable national screens for volunteers.

A man convicted of child abuse in Oregon applies to tutor SPS students at Cascade Elementary School.

Mom of a 4th grader volunteers as a field trip driver. Two years ago, she was convicted of a DUI in California.

Both volunteer applicants would easily pass the WATCH background check.

Background check affordability

Every parent or caretaker should have the opportunity to participate in their student’s education.

Schools can cover background check fees for low-income families using their operating or program budgets, or request PTA assistance.

Field trip related background check fees can be covered through the trip budget.

If the background check fee is causing financial hardship for you, please notify office staff. They can request a special link for your background check from the Volunteer Office for school-sponsored screens.

If you face technology barriers to completing the online background check, such as lack of access to a computer, internet, credit/debit card, please notify staff so we can assist.

Confidentiality

Volunteer applications and background checks are confidential. Each school principal designates a volunteer program liaison to process them.

* Individual schools coordinate and screen applications for all sports that are not handled by SPS Athletics, including club sports: HS Ultimate Frisbee, HS Cheer, HS Lacrosse, Dance, and Water polo. Athletic sports are all disciplines coordinated by the SPS Athletics Department - volunteers must apply through that department (do not use the regular SPS Volunteer Application process).